Freedom And Justice
by laur824
Summary: When the trio discovers that Peter Pettigrew is the true betrayer of Harry's parents, they fight to bring him to justice and to clear Sirius' name. My take on the climax of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. Rated T for language
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I had this idea come to me in the late hours of the night, early hours of the morning. This is just a two-shot for now but I may expand on it later, I'm hoping to tie it in with An Unseen Side somehow. This is set in third year, near the end of the Prisoner of Azkaban. Enjoy!**

"Harry! Harry, Pettigrew!" Hermione shrieked, pointing wildly behind him. Harry spun around, his eyes falling on the coward that had betrayed his parents and ripped them away from him. Pettigrew had picked up Professor Lupin's abandoned wand. Rage gripped Harry; he could not let Pettigrew get away.

"Expelliarmus!" bellowed Harry. The wand soared out of Pettigrew's grasp and into the air, Hermione leapt and caught it. Pettigrew gave an evil smile and waggled his fingers at Harry. Harry, his blood pounding in his ears, felt sick. He didn't know any spells that would stop Pettigrew . . . _wait a minute, yes I do_ Harry thought.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he shouted. It worked: Pettigrew's limbs snapped to his sides and he keeled right over. Breathing hard, Harry looked around at Hermione and Ron.

"Right then, that's that, but just for good measure . . ." said Harry. He pointed his wand at Pettigrew and murmured "Incarcerous." Ropes flew out of his wand and twined themselves around Pettigrew. Sirius looked at his godson. Harry looked back at him.

"I can't let him get away with framing you twice now can I?" Harry asked. Sirius smiled and clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Your parents would be proud of you," he said gruffly, but his eyes told a different story. A rustling noise made the four of them look round. Snape had regained consciousness and was getting to his feet.

"Well, well, well, we are in . . ." Snape broke off, staring past Harry and Sirius to where Pettigrew was lying on the ground, the only part of him moving was his eyes. Snape strode over and looked down at Pettigrew, then up at the group before him.

"How is this possible? How did he come to be here?" Snape demanded, though his bafflement took the sharpness out of his voice. His eyes wide he looked from the three students to the man who had tormented him and back again. Hermione swallowed, but it was Sirius who spoke.

"That's what we were trying to tell you before, Severus, I am not here to kill Harry, nor did I betray Lily and James. This piece of vermin did," said Sirius. The potions master and the alleged murderer looked at each other in silence. Harry, Ron and Hermione watched the two men; all wondering what was going to happen. Finally, Snape spoke.

"Perhaps you'd better come up to the school. Weasley, can you walk?" he asked, taking in Ron's splinted leg.

"Not without help, sir," Ron responded truthfully.

"Very well. Potter, Miss Granger, if you would," Snape said. Harry and Hermione nodded and helped Ron to his feet. Snape clicked his fingers and the ropes binding Pettigrew flew to his hands. Without a word, the six of them made their way to the castle and up the front steps. Harry's heart was pounding as they walked along the dark corridor, would Sirius be set free? Or would he be sent straight back to Azkaban with no trial again. They stopped in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. Snape uttered the password, _toffee éclairs¸_ and the gargoyle sprung aside to let them pass.

By now Harry's heartbeats were more like the hits of a very heavy hammer. _Thump-thump-thump-thump._ Sirius moved so that he was beside the trio. Together they waited as Snape knocked on the door and once it swung open, he stood aside to let the other four pass. Harry's heart was in his throat as the four of them stepped through the door and Snape followed with Pettigrew. The door closed as they were met with silence. Then, all at once, the shouting began.

 **Author's Note: And so ends Chapter 1! Hope you guys enjoyed this, the next chapter will be the final one. Till then, Xoxoxo.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 of Freedom and Justice, ladies and gentlemen! I don't own Harry Potter, that belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

For a moment there was dead silence. Then everyone started shouting all at once.

"Seize him!" shouted Fudge, pointing at Sirius. Harry, Hermione and Ron moved as one to stand in front of Sirius.

"Merlin's beard, Harry, what in the world do you think you're doing? This man is a murderer and your parents' betrayer. Stand aside!" Fudge exclaimed.

"No! I'm not moving until you listen to what we've got to say," Harry said. His heart was pounding, both in anticipation and in fear. Professor Dumbledore was standing behind Fudge, but he had yet to speak. Would he convince Fudge to listen, or would he have no choice but to let Fudge and Macnair take Sirius away? Harry opened his mouth to speak again, but Snape stepped forward.

"If I may, Minister, we have someone with us who can, perhaps, shed a bit more light on the situation," he said. He bent down and lifted Pettigrew, who up until that point had been invisible, into view. Fudge's face turned the color of a white bed sheet.

"How-how? How is this possible? I thought he was dead. Albus, did-did you know about this?" he asked, turning to the Headmaster. Dumbledore shook his head.

"I did not, Cornelius. Perhaps it's time we hear this tale and discover the truth. Don't you think?"

"I-I suppose, yes. That would be prudent," Fudge said. Dumbledore nodded and conjured more chairs. Gesturing for everyone to sit down, he helped Snape lift the still lifeless Pettigrew into a wooden chair and fasten the ropes around the arms and legs. Dumbledore then settled down behind his desk and looked at his three students and Sirius, all of whom were sitting together.

"Perhaps we should start at the beginning. Harry, Ron, Hermione, if you please, I would like you to tell us how you came into contact with Sirius," he said. Harry nodded and launched into the story. With help from Ron and Hermione, he talked for nearly twenty minutes, finishing his story with the revelation that Sirius was innocent and that Pettigrew was the guilty one. When he'd finished speaking he looked at the Minister, who had been silent the entire time. Snape spoke first.

"Well, as Mr Potter has said, I think it's time we hear Black's side of the story and then Pettigrew's," he said. Sirius, who had been sitting next to Harry, looked up.

"I can support Harry's story, but I want a fair trial this time. In front of the Wizengamot. I spent twelve years in prison for a crime I didn't commit, and I confess that my actions this year have not been those of an innocent man but I will accept any sentence the Ministry chooses to give me. I just want to be free to live my life out of the shadows and give Harry the home he should have had since he was a year old. Please Minister; don't be like your predecessor. Be a man who can look back on his career with pride instead of resentment. Be a man who gives a fair trial and doesn't throw innocent people into prison," Sirius finished. Fudge looked at him thoughtfully, and then at Pettigrew who was still unconscious.

"Very well. Macnair, go home for the night. I'll see you in the morning," Fudge dismissed the executioner. Macnair exited the room, shutting the door behind him. Fudge looked at Sirius.

"I will give you your trial that you asked for, but if you don't mind, I'd like to get a statement from you and from Mr Pettigrew as well. Albus? Severus? Can I call upon you as witnesses for the trial?" Fudge asked. The two professors nodded.

"We can be witnesses too," said Harry, indicating himself and his friends. Fudge gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sorry Harry, but you're minors. I'm afraid the Wizengamot and the Ministry won't accept the word of three teenagers. However, since it is your godfather, I can allow you to come to the trial," Fudge said. Harry nodded; he had to be content with that. Fudge stood up.

"Right then, Mr Black, if you and Mr Pettigrew would escort me to the Ministry?" he said. Sirius nodded, clapped Harry on the shoulder, and stood.

"But-Sirius . . ." said Harry. He wanted to stay with Sirius, a part of him was terrified that Fudge was just putting on an act and was going to take Sirius back to Azkaban.

"It's all right Harry, I'll see you quite soon," said Sirius. He nodded at the three of them and followed Fudge to the door. Before they exited however, Fudge turned back and looked at Snape.

"Severus if you wouldn't mind bringing Pettigrew?" Snape nodded and untied Pettigrew. As the four men exited the room, Harry looked back at Dumbledore.

"Don't worry; I'll escort you to the trial. But for now, the three of you need to go to bed, it's well past midnight. I'll summon you when I hear from Cornelius," Dumbledore promised. Knowing it was pointless to argue, the trio trooped out of the headmaster's office.

TWO DAYS LATER

Harry sat nervously in the courtroom. He'd never been in one before, and even though he wasn't the one being questioned he could still feel the aura of power in the room. Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm yourself, Harry, justice will prevail today," he said. Harry, who felt like he had something stuck in his throat, could only nod. Would he be going back to the Dursleys' at the end of term, or would he be living with his godfather from now on? He'd thanked God numerous times in the last forty-eight hours that he was through with exams because he'd barely been able to sleep the last couple of days. He was broken out of his thoughts by the courtroom door opening. Among excited whispers, Sirius walked into the room between two guards. Harry tightened his jaw as a woman behind him whispered, "They caught him at last! We'll be living the rest of our days in freedom while he rots in Azkaban." Harry curled his hands into fists but loosened them again as collective gasps rang out. Shackled and also between two guards, Peter Pettigrew walked into the room after Sirius. As he sat in the chair, Harry saw with a shock that chains came out of nowhere and coiled themselves around Pettigrew's wrists and ankles. As Sirius sat, the guards only stood on either side of him.

Fudge rose and the room quietened.

"Court is now in session. Both of the men you see before you were given Veritaserum before arriving in the court room," he said before turning to Sirius. He nodded at him.

"Mr Black, if you please, could you describe the events prior to the day when Mr Pettigrew accused you of murder before faking his own death?"

"Yes Minister," said Sirius, and he launched into the story that had led him to being in Azkaban. When he reached the part of going to Lily and James' house the night they had been killed, and discovering what Pettigrew had done, there wasn't a dry eye in the courtroom. Everyone in the vicinity was feeling wracked with guilt that they had supported the conviction of a innocent man with no trial and anger at Pettigrew for not owning up to the role he had played in events. After Sirius finished speaking, there was silence.

"We'll take a short recess, and then come back to deliver the verdict," Fudge said. There was a great creaking of the benches as everyone stood and stretched. Some people left the room, presumably to get coffee or for a bathroom break, but most stayed seated, Harry and Dumbledore among them. Sirius and Pettigrew were led from the room. Upon passing Harry, Sirius sent him a quick wink which Harry returned with a half-smile.

"Can I get you anything Harry?" asked Dumbledore. Harry shook his head.

"I don't think I can stomach anything until this is over," he admitted. Dumbledore nodded and they spent the next ten minutes in silence, each lost in his own thoughts. They were broken out of their reveries by the people filing back into the courtroom, Fudge and the jury among them. Once everyone was seated and Sirius and Pettigrew had come back to their seats, Fudge tapped his gavel.

"Madam Bones, have you reached your verdict?"

"We have, Minister. Our verdict is that Peter Pettigrew is to be stripped of his Order of Merlin, and his sentence is the Dementor's Kiss. Sirius Black, you are cleared of all charges and free to go. Any transgressions will be wiped from your record, and you have this court's sincerest apologies," Madame Bones proclaimed. The courtroom erupted in noise. As Pettigrew was led away, Harry leapt from his seat and ran down to where his godfather was sitting, his head in his hands.

"Sirius?"

Sirius looked up, his face pale and his eyes wet. Wordlessly he got up and looked at his godson, then pulled him into a hug. Harry hugged him back, hard. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had never hugged him, not once in the thirteen years he had been under their roof. _This must be what it feels like to be hugged by your dad, or by an uncle_ Harry thought as Sirius released him.

"I can't thank you enough, Harry. You and your friends, without you I would have been back in Azkaban," said Sirius. Harry nodded and opened his mouth to say something. Before he could, someone clearing their throat behind him caught his attention. He turned around to face Dumbledore and Fudge.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it's time we were getting back to school Harry. Sirius, you'll pick him up at King's Cross tomorrow?" Sirius nodded before turning to Fudge and extending his hand.

"Thank you Minister, for giving me my life back," he said. Fudge nodded

"You're welcome. I'm just sorry I didn't believe that you were innocent and sorry that I'm part of the reason you spent twelve years of your life in prison. If you'll come with me, we can get the paperwork sorted that will allow Harry to pass into your guardianship. And, also, the paperwork that registers you officially as an Animagus," said Fudge.

"Right then, let's go. Harry, I'll see you tomorrow at King's Cross," said Sirius. Harry nodded and hugged his godfather, shook hands with the Minister and thanked him, and then he and Dumbledore left the Ministry.

The next day, Harry disembarked from the Hogwarts Express with Ron and Hermione. Harry looked around the crowded platform before spotting his godfather, who was garnering quite a bit of attention. His court case and innocence had come out in _The Evening Prophet_ the night before and had been the hot topic at breakfast that morning. As Harry made his way towards his godfather, he found he wasn't dreading the summer ahead; he was actually looking forward to it like everyone else.

 **Author's Note: The grand finale! Thanks for your patience while I juggle work, school, and fanfiction. Till next time, xoxoxo**


End file.
